The Fist of the War Star
by Jyggilag
Summary: After passing away from the world of the living, a mysterious identity offers Kenshiro a chance for a new life in a new world. Now in a world plagued by war, the 64th successor of the Hokuto Shinken line will take everybody by surprise, by becoming a force to be reckoned and feared with. He will prove why he earned his tittle of the Savior of the end of the century.
1. Rebirth of a Star

**Author's note:** Well, here it is the first one of the new stories I'll began to publish. This is an idea I had while watching Hokuto no Ken and thinking about rewriting my other warcraft story. This is going to be a different story altogether even though the setting is the same.

Many people has been asking me about updating The White Wolf Of Azeroth. But the truth is, now that I'm a more experienced writer and have improved my knowledge of speech and orthography. I took a look at that story that I began when I was a rookie writer and I said; WHAT THE FUCK WAS I THINKING!?

I realized I was making a very poor job in developing that story, too many stupid and silly things that I included that reduced drastically the feeling of the story and I also tended to use many chapters to experiment different writing styles since I was still searching and developing my own back then.

That story is now cancelled and pending a major rewriting, though I will not start working in the rewrite until The Witcher 3 is released and I play it. Since I seen the trailers, I've noticed I can use many elements of the upcoming game in my new story. Especially that issue about the wild hunt, I believe that is the key to send Geralt to another world. But I'll have to learn more about before trying to work it.

Anyway, in the meantime, check the prologue to my new story and tell me what you people think.

* * *

><p>Prologue<p>

**Rebirth of a Star**

Kenshiro found himself in a strange place, an immense expanse of absolute nothingness. Darkness surrounded him by all sides and there was no trace or sight of anything or anyone as far as he could see. He was confused as to how he had stumbled inside this place; his last memories were those of his own deathbed with Ryu looking down at him with tears in his eyes.

The memory of the son of Raoh, his once upon a time brother and rival, brought a faint smile to the face of the hardened warrior and a deep feeling of pride swealling inside his chest. He had finally managed to surpass him years ago and had become the next heir of the Hokuto Shinken.

This little reminiscence gave Kenshiro an idea of where he was currently at. He had died, after many decades traveling the wastelands but still managing to remain strong and healthy as a young man in his prime due to his intense training to completely master the art of Hokuto Shinken, old age had finally caught up to him and he had died peacefully on a bed and under the care of his successor.

After living a harsh life in the wastelands, for the world had turned a cruel and unforgiving place after the nuclear war, he supposed that his passing was a very nice way to go. A staunch contrast with the life he lived and something that many would consider a commodity in this harsh era.

Unlike many, he was not afraid of death. He had lived a long life and done and saw many incredible things along the road while helping anyone who crossed paths with him. He had done all he could to help the people in this new unforgiving era and now new traces of civilization were starting to grow in the once deserted lands, he had done his part, now it was time for the next generation to do its own. He needed not fear for them, for he was more than certain than Ryu will keep his legacy living on.

"**_You are right in that matter. Your apprentice will make sure to protect the people of this new world._**" Said a voice behind Kenshiro.

The successor of the Hokuto Shinken turned around sharply to face whomever has spoken, what he found was nothing that he has ever seeing before. It looked like a man, only that he was tall almost as tall as him. His features were concealed by a mask fashioned in the form of a face that reflected everything that was standing in front of him like a mirror; he was clad in a strange black robe that covered his entire frame from sight, at least he thought his garment to be a robe for it weaved and billowed as if it was smoke. The only part of his body that was visible were his hands that were long thin and pale. They look pretty refined and delicate, yet at the same time, strong and powerful as if they were of a great monarch or nobility. His hair was long and lustrous with a slight waving, especially at its tips, it was of a color as black as ebony with a beauty that could be considered unnatural. The ears that could be barely sticking out from underneath the black mane were long, pale, delicate and… pointy, they sported many earrings made of gold and gemstones. His eyes, which could be seen through the holes of the mask, were also something not from this world. For there was no white in those eyes, only a deep and bright gold upon gold, they almost looked as if they were a precious stone instead of eyes. In short, Kenshiro was really surprised by the figure in front of him.

"**_Greetings, Kenshiro. Do not be alarmed, I just wish to have a few words with you. I assume you already starting to suspect that you're no longer among the world of the living?_**" Said the man cordially, making not a single threatening gesture that could put the former master of Hokuto on edge.

Kenshiro gave him a light nod in reply. "I'm dead am I not? I remember passing from the world on my deathbed. Seeing this void all around me, it is safe to assume that I'm already on the afterlife and if not, then I'm a transitory state before entering the other life. So I take it you are here for me?" said the powerful warrior without hesitation.

"**_Quite! Your guess was almost spot-on, almost. For you see, I'm not here for the reasons you suspect_**"

A small frown appeared on Kenshiro's face, he wasn't expecting this turn of developments "Then what it's your reason for seeking me here, if you're not here to take me to the other side?"

The man turn his head at a side, as if embarrassed "**_I admit that my only reason for being here is because of a whim._**" He looked back at Kenshiro with unconcerned eyes "**_I was curious, you see, you are a very intriguing person Kenshiro. I've watched your life closely, the battles you have fought, the adversities you've endured, and the people you've saved. I been meaning to speak to you from a very long time, but I haven't had the opportunity since if I had tried to do what I'm about to, I would have put the designs of destiny and the future of your world in Jeopardy._**"

Kenshiro wasn't sure what to make of the things this man was saying, so he had to inquire more. "What do you mean by that?"

It was hard to read this man expression since it was mostly concealed by his mask and the cloak of smoke, but guiding himself by his posture it would seem he was amused. "**_You may have not considered it before, since I know you're a very humble man. But you have been very important for this world. It is thanks to your efforts at fighting against the injustice of the world that traces of civilization are starting to appear back in the planet. Because of you, life is starting to grow back on the world and one day may dot the landscape once more. And with you passing down the torch to your apprentice, that future is almost a certainty._**"

Kenshiro gave a nod after hearing that, his expression betraying no emotion. "I'm glad that Ryu will keep the new world safe as the next successor of Hokuto Shinken. The people of the world deserve their happiness after so much tragedy."

"**_Indeed, and it's all thanks to you. Even if you don't want to acknowledge it, the fact remains that it is because of your efforts that humanity, earth itself may completely be saved from doom. Such importance in the salvation of an entire world is what has keeping me from contacting you before; even for a being like myself who has a greater room to maneuver than most higher beings and entities, there are still things that not even I can get away with when pulling them off. That is why I had to wait for this moment. Now that you are dead, your destiny has already been achieved. You have fulfilled your role as savior of mankind and now your soul can move unto another plane. But I don't want for your soul to be wasted in the ultimately dull and boring afterlife or recycled completely in the wheel of reincarnation. I kind off have grown fond of you after witnessing all your struggles, so it is my desire to grant you a boon in a new life"_**

That last statement was enough to give a pause to the mighty martial artist, even if he particularly didn't mind spending an eternity of dull and uninterrupted peace in the company of his long death friends and acquaintances and in the other hand he was wise enough to understand to concept of reincarnation and not be bothered by it in the least. But he was curious as to what this being was offering him, since he seemed eager enough to meet for a long time. At the least he could let him say his piece before refusing in case he didn't agree with his terms.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked finally after a brief pause.

"**_It is as I say; I will allow you to live a new life in a different world. A world that is much different, and yet, much the same like your own. It is dealing with its own troubled times, as any world has to deal with their own. But just like it happened to yours during the brief nuclear war, if things were to spiral out of control it could mean the end of all civilization. This destruction has only been kept at bay by the blood and sacrifice of great heroes that have lay down their lives in the pursuit of justice. But too many have already died, too many good people has been lost and things are only going to get worse… and many more lives will have to be sacrificed to keep evil from triumphing. It is my wish for you to prevent so many unnecessary loss of life._**"

Kenshiro kept his face impassive through the explanation, but he couldn't deny that the man now had his complete attention. He couldn't turn a blind eye to the suffering of others. "And what will you have me do if I were to go to this other world? What would be my objective?"

The man just stared back at him with the same impassiveness "**_To prevent a war, to keep things from going out of hand, to save innocent lives; basically, for you to keep doing what you do best. And while you are at it, maybe you could find the happiness that you thought lost forever from your life in this new world._**"

Kenshiro had to mull things over in his head; he really couldn't turn down the opportunity to help others. The tenets of Hokuto forbid him from remain idle against injustice, but that doesn't mean that he should go and interfere in the matters of another world. He had to take things carefully. "Although I cannot deny the fact that I can't let injustice go unpunished if I can do something to correct it. Why should I meddle in the matters of another world? You said so yourself; my destiny has already been fulfilled. I fought long and hard to make it so and bring forth the salvation of my world. Why then, should I deny others from fighting their own battles and achieving their own destinies?"

The ethereal entity accepted that Kenshiro was raising a valid point with a nod, and he promptly delivered his counter argument. "**_Because destiny is not something that it is carved into stone, it is constantly shifting and shaping itself and only through our efforts and determination can we ensure it becomes a certainty. But as you know, life is seldom a fair or easy thing. Many promising and brilliant people usually have their lives taken away or cut short; and their destinies truncated instead of becoming all that they could have been. Everybody should have the opportunity to develop their destiny as most brilliantly as they can. You can always be more than what you are now; you can always rise beyond the limitations of your life and become a truly remarkable thing. So is a sad thing to see many people with brilliants and beautiful destinies ahead of them having their lives cut short and never achieving their true potential. It is a very disheartening thing to witness, so it is my hope that you can protect this precious people and allow them to bloom and be all that they can be._**"

Kenshiro was rather touched by the honesty in the man's words, it truly sounded as an honorable task for the 64th successor of Hokuto to undertake. "It does sound to be a doable objective; do you truly have so much faith in me in accomplishing this enterprise?"

"**_Of course._**" Replied the masked man immediately and without hesitation. "**_You have already proven yourself more than able by becoming the savior of one world. Now, I'm asking you to save another. In truth, this is the main reason why I ask you to do this. This other world has no savior of its own. Yes, it has its own heroes and leaders that fight for the safety of their world as they should. But none of them has the strength to end the tides of strife that plague their land in waves. There's always one menace after another with very little time between a crisis and the next. And those that prove decisive to bring an end to the threat that is ravaging their world at a given time tend to fail and fall in the face of the next one. Too many lives have been lost already because of this issue; too many have fallen low from glory. Only a man of true resolve and strength like you; should be capable of ending the cycles of violence and hate that this world is condemned to suffer forever until it is swallowed whole by them. Only you, Savior of the end of the century, can achieve peace for this world and protect it from all threats._**"

"I see…" Replied Kenshiro in consideration "It appears my help is truly solely needed to bring and end to the strife. Very well, if this is what it is required of me to ensure the protection of the innocent; then as the 64th successor of the Hokuto Shinken, it is my duty to accept your offer."

The masked man was glad for that answer "**_I'm relieved to hear that, for a moment I thought you would say no. Very well, before you go, there are some matters that need addressing. First of all, as you are right now will simply not do, I'll have to give back to you the youth and vigor that you've lost with age and put you back as you were in your prime._**"

And with that statement the masked man made a flick of his hand and strange shining particles and orbs of light were released from his palm and enveloped Kenshiro, who saw how his body, now old and wrinkled, began to rejuvenate and lose all the ravages suffered by time until he was as healthy and able as in his youth. All pains and aches were gone, the weariness in his muscles were lifted, all wrinkles and deformations disappeared, breathing became easier and he felt a rush of energy that he hadn't felt in decades. He felt alive, but how was that possible if he was supposed to be dead?

It's unnecessary to say that Kenshiro was more than awed by this turn of events "H… how?" he asked, taking a hand to his face to feel the smoothness of his skin back again.

"**_Well… let's just say that Ryu will be more than a little surprised to see your body gone right in front of him._**" Replied the disguised man playfully "**_Now, I must bring to light a very important matter. The world you are about to go is more different from your own than what you imagine. This world is a world were magic exists; as it is heavily laced on its foundations. So don't get surprised if you see people shooting lighting from their fingertips or that can make fire rain down from the sky. After restoring you back to your prime in the way I did it, I expect you not to be too skeptic about the existence of Magic. So you may have to tread carefully in some situations if magic were to be involved, underestimating any potential threat could prove being fatal as I'm sure you already know. So have a care will you? Although I'm sure the skills given to you by the mastery of your art will allow you to overcome any given situation, it doesn't hurt to be mindful of your steps too. Discretion is the best part of valor as they say._**"

That new information made Kenshiro to bring his hand to his chin in thought. He has never been in battle against an enemy that could wield honest-to-god magic and not tricks employed to give a cheap advantage against weaker opponents, he began to think how challenging could be to face such discipline "It truly appears that I should watch were I step while in this new world. But still, I will not let myself be intimidated by foreign or unknown abilities. Even if things reach a dire point, I cannot let the art of Hokuto be defeated without paying a steep price in exchange, even when facing against overwhelming odds"

"**_I understand. That is one of the reasons why I chose you for this job._**" replied the masked man in agreement.

Kenshiro gave a nod in understanding "Is this all I should worry about? Or is there something else that I should take in consideration?"

"**_Just something else…_**" added the strange individual "**_This world is not only inhabited by just only humans. But also several other different species have developed their own culture and societies in this world. So you should keep in mind not to do something that might offend these species since their values and views can be radically different to that of humans. So you'll have to keep an open mind like never before when in this world, since many of their outlooks in life often contradict and clash against each other and thus result in conflict. It may be a little tiresome to keep note of every little detail that might result offensive for a specific race when dealing with them, but you have to remember that you're the foreigner in their lands, so you'll have to make due. Also, this brings forward the issue of my second gift to you…_**" said the masked man before he brought his hand over Kenshiro's temple.

The hand over his head began to glow and Kenshiro started to feel a foreign presence in his mind, not an invasion towards his consciousness but an improvement, he felt how this presence began to sharp his senses and broad his own awareness. It felt as if veils were removed from his mind and he suddenly found himself perceiving the world in a manner as never before. The masked man finally removed his hand before offering an explanation of what he had done.

"**_In order to keep the effectiveness of Hokuto against so many different races since you only have an intricate knowledge of all the Keiraku Hiko points in the human body, which would prove not that useful against opponents of different species. I have given to you the ability to see the meridian points of any living being that stands in front of your sight within your mind's eye. With this, your Hokuto Shinken would prove devastating against any given opponent. Make sure to record your discoveries of any new pressure points you might discover when you have the chance, improving and broading the range of your art can only be a good thing. Also! I too took the liberty of increasing your senses and awareness so you may now take notice of things that in the past you may have passed over for believing them unimportant. Now there's not much that would pass you by, so it will be very difficult for someone to get the drop on you. That includes magic too since I have given you the ability to detect and sense any trace of magic nearby to you. _**"

Kenshiro brought a hand to the point in the middle of his temple where the disguised man had touched him; indeed he felt his senses being awoken and alert in a level never experienced before. This certainly was a nice gift.

"Why are you doing this? It is obvious you are not human or even a mortal man, so why a being like you would take such a direct involvement in mortal affairs? There must be a reason."

"**_Because I once was a mortal man just like you… long ago, before I became what you see in front of you._**" The black-clad individual said motioning with a hand towards his appearance. "**_And because I still cling to the memory of what it felt to walk and see the world from its lowest point, and because my particular nature allows me to interfere in this kind of matters without dealing with too much hassle. I have traveled trough many planes since I became what I am, saw a myriad of different people, witnessed their struggles and battles, and through it all, marveled at their resolve to fight for their beliefs and in the end, ending up feeling some fondness for them because of it. So sometimes, I can't stop the need to act in their favor when I fell that they should have received a better outcome for their sacrifices than what they got in the end. Maybe it is nothing more than some foolish and selfish sentimentalism from my part, but… _**_(Shrug)** I don't care. **_"

"I see…" replied Kenshiro in thought "So how should I address someone like you?"

"**_You're asking for my name or my title?_**" replied the disguised man with amusement in his voice, even with them mask, Kenshiro could feel he was raising an eyebrow in inquisitiveness "**_I have many on both accounts, I am a main patron deity or ruler to a great number of other worlds and dimensions and I been bestowed a great list of titles too long as to keep count._** **_Sep, Sheor, Shor, Shezarr, Lord Indoril Nerevar, Moon-and-Star, Nerevarine, to name a few… But, the most common name that I go by and that which I usually use to announce myself to others is Lorkhan. So feel free to call me by that name._**"

"Lorkhan… Very well, I'll make sure to remember it." Said Kenshiro burning the name in his mind, he closed his eyes and took a long breath, and when he opened them a bright flame of determination could be seen in his pupils. "I'm ready to go, take now to this new world."

"**_Very well…_**" Lorkhan supplied and then moving his arm in an upward motion at his side, as if ripping through the air, a glowing portal manifested out of nothing "**_Step through this portal whenever you want, and it will take you to your destination. I wish you good luck, even though I have the utmost trust in your abilities, the path ahead of you is fraught with many perils._**"

"Such is the path of the martial artist." Replied Kenshiro immediately without any doubt, he walked towards the glowing vortex, only for the imposing man to stop briefly at its threshold to address Lorkhan one last time "I thank you for the gifts you have given me, and I promise you I will not fail in the task you have bestowed upon me. Farewell for now, and I hope that our paths may cross sometime again in the future."

And with that the 64th successor in the merciless art of Hokuto Shinken stepped inside the vortex and into lands unknown. Lorkhan stood patiently waiting for the portal to close. "**_I'm sure we will Kenshiro. I'm so curious of what you're going to do once you arrive at your destination. It will be interesting to watch_**."

And with that, the masked deity turned around and began to walk away, a shimmer of blue lights began to surrounding him and he disappeared entirely from all sight.

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><p><em>Well this opens the door for this new story. There's only one thing that I can say about the fist of the North Star and that is… Manly.<em>

_Hokuto No Ken is probably the most manly anime ever created. Only this much level of Awesome and Badassery could be a product of the 80's._

_I'm going to set things straight right now form the beginning for those of you who haven't seen Hokuto No Ken, which you should as soon as possible. The fist of the North Star has a very big cast of characters whose skills are just superhuman._

_Hokuto Shinken (Kenshiro's art) has the title of being and invincible art and the author of this series truly has known how not to make you put it into question._

_The art of Hokuto is truly invincible; all the martial artist of the manga an anime can perform feats beyond those of any mortal. Only in other works like Dragon Ball and Saint Seiya can the protagonists perform similar feats._

_Kenshiro is so overpower is not even funny. He can stop the attacks of 5 meters tall giants, all buffed up and ripped with muscles with a single finger and then kill them with that same finger. He can also lift those giants with ease, completely, with a single hand and lift other very heavy things like tanks or demolitions machines without much effort. He stopped 2 giant bulldozers with one hand each at the same time while being attacked by a giant demolition wrecking ball and then split said wrecking ball with a single movement of his hand. He beat an armored tank with his fists! Those wrecking balls can hit him in full and then he stands up like they were nothing. He can break through walls, metal or otherwise, as if they were made of tissue paper. And he is also insanely fast since his bulk veils his speed that is beyond of what the eye can follow._

_The martial artists of Hokuto No Ken are practically gods among men since they can: Turn diamonds into dust by crushing them between 2 of their fingers, bring entire buildings down with a single punch, jump higher than the height of a skyscraper, rend steel with their nails and turn people into ribbons, kill people with just their battle aura, make energy attacks that turn into a tornado that can destroy an entire street an cause heavy structural damage to the buildings._

_Hell; they're even beyond those silly mortal notions that common folks like us have to deal with every day, like physical pain. Try stabbing them in the neck with a knife, the blade breaks. Their skin can turn stronger than the sturdiest metal, they can have entire buildings fall atop them and survive. Oddly enough, only arrows seem able to penetrate their skin, but they don't impede them in the least. Hell; Kenshiro was stabbed in the chest by five, 2 meters, long metal poles that were draining his blood and what did he do? He increased his manliness until his muscles bulged and spit them out without a single wound._

_So I don't want people nagging me because Kenshiro will appear too overpower in this story, Mary Sue? She gets fucked in the ass! She doesn't hold a candle against Kenshiro. He's practically Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee all into one._

_Don't believe me? Go to YouTube and watch this anime. Type Kenshiro vs Raoh or Hokuto No ken Post-Apocalyptic games and prepare to get your mind blown._

_By the way, if you inquire about Lorkhan identity. Yes, he's the Nerevarine from the Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind. This something that I had always wanted to see in the game, by taking the back door procedure to finish the main campaign, you stumble upon many books that detail how it is possible to steal the power from the Heart of Lorkhan, so why the developers didn't put an option whe__n it is hinted __you could do it so? I've fantasized with my character taking the power of the Heart for its own (Don't see anything bad about, since the entire tribunal is full of Hypocritical corrupt lying bastards, specially Vivec, and Dagoth Ur and Almalexia are touched in the head) and becoming a Daedra prince._

_So this Lorkhan is from an universe where the nerevarine took the power of the heart and assumed the identity of Lorkhan. Not possessed or merging with the daedra, like it happened to the hero of Kvatch in the 4th game when he became Sheogorath. But completely taking the power of the Daedra Lord without losing his sense of self, since Lorkhan was already dead and the Tribunal and Dagoth-Ur were already doing that , only that they became addicted to its power and lose their minds to it because they had to take regular doses of the power of the heart from time to time. But since the nerevarine would get all the power in its entirety in a single instance, he wouldn't suffer from any kind of drawback related to addiction withdrawal. Of course he then will left the plane of Tamriel to explore and see other dimensions and because of his status as both mortal and deity he can do things other higher beings can't. For when the god cannot go or act, the man can._

_Well, that's it for now; make sure to send a review telling me what you think of this new idea._

_Oh! And before I forget. The date of Kenshiro arrival will be up for you people to decide. There are 3 options: During the death of Cenarius, during the battle of the Hyjal, or during the Burning Crusade. So make sure to send me your reviews with your choices in them._

_That's it! Read you all next time!_


	2. The shores of a new land

**Author's note:** Alright people! Here it is; the second installment of this story. You know, it was a hard choice for me to decide where and when! Should I have placed Kenshiro for the first time in Azeroth. After much consideration, and taking into account all the other fics of warcraft that have been done with a premise similar to this one before….

I decided for going for something that hasn't been done by other authors, because I like being original in my works (If you check carefully, all my other stories are usually the only ones of their category) I put him during certain events that I'm sure would take many of you by surprise.

BTW! I need help in getting some things for my source material of WOW.

I need you to send me all the information you have about all the string of quests and events that comprise the main campaign of WOW for both, the Horde and the Alliance. Starting with the burning crusade up to mysts of Pandaria so that I may have a very well descripted timeline, although I'm more interested in the events of Cataclysm and Mysts since I haven't played the last 2 expansions because they didn't caught my fancy and I particularly didn't cared about them.

After Arthas died, I stopped playing since I didn't cared anymore what would happen to Azeroth after the most badass villain of the series was dead. All I know about the events of the last 2 expansions is:

Deathwing invades, he fucks the world, then he's killed, Koriastraz dies, and all dragons lose they so called immortality (same like the night elves). From Pandaria, Garrosh destroys Theramore by dropping a mana bomb on the city and Rhonin dies saving Jania from the bomb (this one was a shock when I learn it), The Horde and Alliance goes to war and during the conflict they find Pandaria, tensions mount due to the presence of both factions in the new continent, Garrosh revives some kind of Panda Thunder King (don't know why?), The Alliance invades Orgrimmar, they fuck Garrosh and the pandas take him to stand trial. And Jaina's hair turns white and she starts to act like a militaristic tight-ass (this I didn't like)

As you can see, I really need to broad my knowledge in the latest WOW lore, so any help will be appreciatted. Anyway, with that out of the way... Let's begin with this chapter.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own either World of Warcraft or Hokuto No Ken. They belong to their respective authors. I forgot to put this thing in the last chapter.

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 1<strong>

**The shores of a new land**

The first thing Kenshiro felt, after stepping out of the portal, was the blinding light and warmth of a foreign sun. His eyes squinted in irritation and he raised a hand to shield them from the garish light.

He needed a few moments for his senses to adapt to his new surroundings. Once they were settled enough, he began to acertain his position and realized that he was in the middle of a forest.

For a moment, Kenshiro simply stood there, marveling at the beauty and serenity of nature. It had been many, many decades since he had last seen a tree, much less a forest, in such pristine condition. Not since before the nuclear war that had destroyed his world. He had resigned himself long ago to the notion that everything green had been eradicated from earth and all that was left was an arid desolated wasteland.

He could hear birds chirping happily among the canopy of trees, another thing that he had never expected to witness again. The memories of what his world had once been and what it was now began to flood on his mind. Seeing all this long lost beauty was almost enough to bring a tear to the eyes of the imposing warrior.

**_SPLASSSHHH!_**

His musings were interrupted by the sound of something big hitting water. Feeling the need to investigate, Kenshiro went towards the direction of the noise.

He was once more surprised when he found himself atop of a cliff, overlooking an immense valley below. From his position he could not only see all the expanse of the forest but also the snow-caped outlying mountains and a great river running through the middle of the valley, it made for a very breathtaking sight.

His mind went back to the reason of what was he doing here when he saw a figure on the river being washed ashore. Immediately, he sprang into action and jumped from the cliff towards the land below. Using the speed and agilty he had gained from his intense training, it wasn't long before he reached the riverbed.

Once there, he discovered that the figure that had been washed on the shore was a man, who by the looks of it, seemed to be wounded. He quickly pulled him out of the water and laid him carefully to rest over a rock, before setting himself to work on his injuries.

He was surprised to see that these man pressure points were radically different from that of a normal human being. Some of them were inverted, others were on total different locations; and many more were unknown to him. He started to suspect that this man may not be entirely human. But he didn't have time to dwell on his suspicious, so he decided to work on the pressure points that he knew and were easy to identify, to heal this man.

-Nnnngh!-

The man started to stir. It seemed he was waking up. Any word he was about to say was interrupted by the sound of a new voice.

-KALEC!-

-KALEC!-

Kenshiro turned and saw a very young woman of fair hair (who looked barely on her mid-teens) running frantically at his direction with worry etched on her pretty face.

"KALEC! Stay away from him! What are you doing to him!?" She asked him, obviously pretty concerned for the fate of the wounded man.

Kenshiro brought a hand up to signal her to remain calm. "Easy. I saw how you friend here was dragged ashore by the river. So I helped him to get out of the water when I took notice of his wounds. I am just in the middle of treating his injuries."

That answer brought an embarassed response out of the girl, once she realized he wasn't trying to do anything against his friend health. "Oh!?" she offered a little bow as apology "I'm sorry if I seemed a little rash in my assumptions. It wasn't my intention to unlawfully acusse you of any wrongdoing, kind sir. I was just worried for my friend's wellbeing… How is he?" she asked, pretty desperate for his friend.

"He is fine. I was just finishing with my ministrations. He should wake up at any moment now."

-Nnnnnngh!-

True to Kenshiro's words, the man began to stir once more. The girl immediately kneeled at his side to speak to him. She seemed pretty happy to have found him unharmed.

"Kalec! I'm glad to found you alive!"

"An… Anveena?" The man, Kalec, struggled to say.

"Shhh!" The girl shushed him tenderly, clearing a strand of hair away from his face.

"Uuuuugh!" the man was taken by unconciousness once more.

"Kalec!"

Kenshiro decided to speak to dissipate the young girl fears. "He is fine; he's just tired by his ordeal. We should let him rest to allow him to recover his strenght."

"…Yes… You're right…" The girl standed-up and turned towards Kenshiro, who was still on his own prone position on the ground in front of Kalec. "Thank you for taking care of him. My name is Anveena, may I ask yours?" she said really politely.

"My name is Kenshiro." Answered the Hokuto master impassibly.

Anveena happily nodded in acknowledgement "Can ask a favor of you, mister Kenshiro? Can you take good care of Kalec for me? I'm pretty sure he's going to be hungry once he awakes, so I'm going to go look on the woods for something for him to eat."

"Would you be alright on your own?" Kenshiro asked, considering if it was a bad idea to let a young girl go running on her own inside some strange woods.

"Don't worry about me; I've been living among these woods my entire life. I know them like the back of my hand." Anveena said pretty non-chalant.

Still, Kenshiro took his time to consider her request. After a moment he agreed with a wordless nod.

"Great! Just sit tight and keep an eye on him. I'll be back before you know it." The girl said, before heading into the woods and losing herself from sight. In the meantime Kenshiro decided to focus in fixing something up that could help as a bandage for the injured man in front of him.

* * *

><p>Just as she promised, the girl returned not too much time later carrying a handful of apples in her slender arms. "Here, Kenshiro! I found some apples!" She announced, before tossing one of the red fruits towards the 64th successor of Hokuto, who caught it pretty deftly by just lifting his palm.<p>

The girl then went to sit over where Kalec was and just in time too, as the bruised man was starting to wake up again. It was safe to say that Kalec was surprised to see the girl.

"A…Anveena… You… You're still here? How much have you been waiting for me to wake up? Why didn't you leave when you had the chance?"

"Don't be silly. I haven't been waiting for long for you to wake up, to tell the truth." Anveena replied with a smile and then motioned towards Kenshiro "Mister Kenshiro - over here! - fished you out of the river and was very kind to treat your wounds and keep watch over you while I went to the woods to find something for us to eat. It is him you should thank for saving your life."

Kalec turned the best he could to look towards Kenshiro. "I thank you for your assistance. If you hadn't helped me, I probably would be dead. I'll make sure to repair you this kindness somehow."

"That it's not necessary. I simply cannot stand iddle when I see someone in danger in front of me. You should not thank me for what I've done." Kenshiro replied with a wave of his hand, trying to dissuade Kalec from any notion of debt that he may feel.

But the injured man was not going to let the matter drop that easily. "Still, you deserve my thanks. Not many people would have stop to lend aid to some stranger, especially in these times. Your kindness should not go unrequitted so easily."

Kenshiro stared at the injured man for a moment. After considering his words in his mind, he decided that maybe there could be a way to settle this man's conciousness. He gave a slight nod. "Very well, if you are so kind as to answer me a question then, I would consider your debt repaid."

Kalec acknowledged Kenshiro's proposal. "Very well, ask your question."

"You are not human are you?" Asked Kenshiro in a tone that seemed more a statement than a question.

For a moment Kalec became briefly nervous by that question, but then as if realizing that if Kenshiro had wanted to do him any harm he should had already done it by now, he calmed again and replied. "Yes, you are correct. Did you realize this when treating my wounds?"

Kenshiro replied with another nod. "Correct. I noticed certain aspects of your physiology to be radically different from that of a common man."

Kalec let out an amused laugh after hearing that. "Ha! And here I thought my disguise was pretty flawless… In any case, yes I'm not human. In truth I'm a dragon in human form, I've been running from some hunters for a while now and to my great distress, I've unwillingly put Anveena in danger too since she found me when I was first attacked by the hunters and nursed me back to health and has stubbornly remained by my side despite my constant warnings of how dangerous it is for her to remain close to me."

Understandably, the answer caught Kenshiro by surprise. It's not everyday when he finds someone who claims to be a real living dragon, if Lorkhan hadn't told him beforehand that this new world was inhabited by other species besides humans, we would had tought Kalec a madman. He didn't let any of his surprise to be shown in his face, however, other than just a brief rise of his eyebrow.

Kalec then turned the best he could to adress the young girl. "Which reminds me as to why you are still here Anveena? You shouldn't have stayed, it's too dangerous."

"I couldn't leave without knowing if you were still alive." Replied Anveena while, at the same time, offering one of the apples in her posession to him.

Kalec however, ignored her offerings, still concerned by what he believed to be Anveena's predilection for courting danger. "They could have found you." Still burdened by his thoughts, the Dragonkin finally accepted the girl's gift and took a bite out of the apple. "We were lucky; they must have thought we drowned."

After consuming the apple, Kalec began to look at his hands intently, as if he couldn't believe some revelation that only he realized. "I should have drowned, long before Kenshiro could have found me. The fall should have been enough to kill me! I don't understand how I'm still alive… or how I ended up changing back again."

A yawn escaped from Kalec's mouth, he tried to stiffle it the best he could "But it's a good thing I did. It allowed me to be washed up on the shore." He then lay back on the rocks; he was finally succumbing to weariness. "If I had stayed on my true form, I would have sunk to the bottom of the river and truly drowned."

The girl tried to reassure him. "Don't worry anymore. You just rest for now."

The injured dragonkin tried to resist, however. "I Sh… Shouldn't… you need… to go back to your parents…

Anveena gently sushed him and put a hand on his temple, tenderly. "Shhh… Tomorrow… Now, you sleep." And unable to disobey that order, Kalec was finally taken by the dream. Only Kenshiro and the girl remained awake now, looking over him and the sun was beginning to set already.

"You should do the same and try to get some sleep for yourself" Kenshiro said, impassive. "I'll guard over you two while you sleep and keep an eye out for trouble."

The girl couldn't supress the need to stretch and let her own yawn out. She was beginning to feel tired too. "I wouldn't want to impose mister Kenshiro. You have done much already to help us, it wouldn't be proper to make you sacrifice your own hours of sleep for our sakes."

"It is no trouble." Replied the impossing man, reassuringly. "This is not the first time that I have to camp while guarding over others or sleeping with an eye open. I assure you; I will not stay up for too long nor lose too many hours of sleep if that's what concerns you. Trust me."

Anveena decided to take him on his word withouth any complaint "Very well, I'll take your word for it." She began to snuggle on Kalec's side "Have a good night mister Kenshiro and don't let the bedbugs bite you." she said before promptly falling asleep. Kenshiro remained awake and alert until he was sure there were no dangers nearby and once he was sattisfied, he too, decided to take his 20 winks.

* * *

><p>The next morning the 3 companions by circumstance were ready to depart. Both Anveena and Kalec were a little astounded when they saw Kenshiro stand to his full-height, they had already saw he was pretty brawny -it was really hard not to notice all his muscles- but they didn't imagined he would be so tall and impressive, he easily towered over both of them. Kalec couldn't help but feel a little intimidated by such a great and hard wall of muscle while Anveena was marveled by his physical fitness. It was safe to assume for both of them that Kenshiro must be quite the powerful warrior.<p>

They set off back towards Anveena's home; Kenshiro was assisting Kalec to walk while Anveena guided both of them through the woods. Soon enough, they began to converse among themselves.

"Sh-shouldn't be long now. I can walk the rest of the way." Kalec said, wanting to stop being a burden for the others.

The young girl wasn't keen of that idea, however. "I would not think of it! Kenshiro, don't let him go!"

"You two have done far too much for me already." The disguised dragon said, demurely. "And you, Anveena, need to run back home! You need to let your parents know you're…" but his words were cut abrubtly when the trio saw a column of smoke rising above the canopy of trees, and it was coming from the direction of Anveena's home.

"NOOOOO! MOTHER! FATHER!"

The girl took off the moment she saw the smoke, a horrible feeling of dread swelling inside her heart. His companions tried to stop her from doing anything rash. Whatever that had struck her home could still be lingering around.

"A-Anveena! Hold on!" Of course, any word of caution simply fell on deaf ears.

Kenshiro went after the girl, dragging Kalec with him; he was not going to leave the girl alone with danger prowling around. The two of them soon catched-up with the girl and found her standing in helpless desperation in front of the fiery crumbled remains of what had once been her home.

There was no word of comfort that they could offer her and could only stare somberly how she shed tears for her parents and tried in vain to look for any sign of them among the burning remains.

"No… No… No… Mother… Father… I can't find them…"

Kalec could only curse at their bad fortune. "Those damn monsters! Why!?"

_Crack!_

Their thoughts were interrupted by the sound of wood being cracked behind them. The moment they looked behind their backs, they found themselves by attacked by horrible crature lunging at them.

**KRAAAAA!**

It looked like a man, except his visage was horrible, wretched and disfigured. He was tall, almost 2 and half meters tall and he looked pretty overweight. His entire body was covered by stitches, his skin looked dry and sick, his nails were long and sharpened into claws, there were no irises in his eyes only an unnatural and disturbing whiteness, his prominent stomach was burst open leaving his intestines hanging for all to see, and there were pieces of bone and ribs protruding from out his body. In short, it looked like their attacker was a reanimated corpse.

Kenshiro didn't wasted time and knocked Kalec out of harm's way, leaving him to face this creature head-on. The undead monstruosity used his momentum to launch a slash with one of his big chubby arms intending to tear Kenshiro apart with his claws. Both the creature and Kenshiro's two companions were utterly surprised when he stopped that devastating attack abruptly with only one finger.

-**Urk!?**-

Taking advantage of the creature's confusion, Kalec stood up back again and summoned a sword out of thin air which he then used to decapitate the creature in one single motion.

AAAAAAAH!

_SLASH!_

_THUD!_

But to the surprise of all, the creature kept moving and the headless body turned around and lunged at Kalec.

"Hooooooooo! HYA!" Kenshiro reacted by kicking the creature in the back and send it flying at least 10 meters away from them. It was a very good kick, to tell the truth.

The creature stood up and was getting ready to attack again, Kalec raised his sword and was about to rush at the creature to meet it in combat when the unded abomination froze in his steps and began to spasm and trash wildly.

BLLLHHH! BLEEEEEEEERGH!

The body of the creature began to bloat horribly; it looked as if tumors were suddenly growing on him out of nothing, disfiguring the dimensions of his body most disturbingly by pulsating and expanding through bone and tendons and giving the impression that at any moment they could rip the boddy apart from the inside. The tumors reached a critical point and ended up exploding in a gory fashion, spewing corrupted blood and tissue everywhere, and leaving of the undead abomination nothing but a blood-stained smear on the floor.

The brutal display shocked Kalec to his core. He had never seen such a gruesome and violent death in all his years. "Wha… What… What just happened…?"

"That is the effectiveness of Hokuto Shinken, The Divine Fist of the North Star, the martial art I'm practinioner of." Replied Kenshiro with his grave voice. "This merciless art makes use of the opponent's pressure points to destroy their bodies from within. In its 2000 years of history, the Hokuto has never been defeated by any other art, it is an art so deadly that only one successor per generation can be chosen to wield it. It is the ultimate and invincible killing art."

Kalec was almost speechless after that declaration; even Anveena was physically appealed by the brutality of Hokuto, the death of her parents' semmingly forgotten from her mind at the moment.

"I have never heard nor seen of such a mounstruous art before. To think such a thing exists in this world." Kalec said, still unable to overcome his shock. From the corner of his eye he caught glimpse of a green fire, appearing suddenly, behind Anveena and of the figures coming out from the flames. More undead!

The prescence of this new danger was enough to pull him out of his stupor. "Anveena! Look out! Behind you!

"Huh?" Anveena turned around cluelessly and found herself attacked by another undead.

**RAAAAARGH!**

"(Gasp) NO!"

If she hadn't jerked back and tripped on the ground at the last moment, she would have been cut in twine. But the problem was that she was now lying helplessly on the ground and open to any kind of attack.

"I'm coming, Anveena!" Kalec said, before rushing in her defense. He didn't see the metal collar, tied with a rope, flying through the air and about to land on his head.

But the girl did. "Kalec! Behind you!"

"What?" was all Kalec could say before the collar constricted around his neck and began to dispense several hundred bolts of electricity down his body.

"AAAAAARGH!"

"Kalec!"

A second metal ring was about to fall around Anveena's neck too… But it was intercepted at the last moment.

"What!?" Anveena turned to look behind her and found Kenshiro with his hand tightly enclosed around the metal ring that was destined for her.

"You should strive to keep a better eye on your surroundings." He said before kicking the undead monster, which was still behind her, in the chin and sending him flying several dozen feets back.

Like his companion before, the undead abomination stood up again, almost immediately, and snarled at the enormous figure of Kenshiro. Only to stop abruptly mid-noise, before his body began to bloat and expand in unnatural proportions. The now familiar tumors appeared and grew to a critical point before exploding in a shower of gore, leaving the rest of the undead horde frozen in shock, alongside their master.

It was then that the 3 companions took notice of the man who seemed to be in control of this undead horde. He had a lot of sharp and pointy features in his person and attire; a pointy long red traveler's hat with wide brim acompanied by a pointy red cape with pointy shoulder guards that rose sligthly up, a long sharp face with long and thin eyebrows, he even had long pointy ears that could be seen among his long dark hair same as his nose. It was clear the man was another non-human.

"Who are you stranger….!? What kind of power you possess, that you are able to destroy one of my minions so utterly with a single strike!?"

Kenshiro bore his gaze upon the man and stared at him long and hard with his impassive face. "I must assume it is you who's behind the destruction of Anveena's home and this unwarranted attack against my companions. This unprovoked agression and murder of innocent people will not go unpunished! Tell me! What wickedness drove you to commit such hineous acts!?"

"Hineous acts!?" replied the man with a smug smile. "You misunderstand; let me introduce myself first before correcting you from your mistake…" The man said before performing an elaborated bow with his cape that had too much cockiness in it that one could believe he was mocking Kenshiro.

"I am Darkhan, a gentle soul by nature… So you should know that what I do; I do it by neccessity! For I am searching for something I have lost, though not from any fault of my own. Recently, I've been led to believe your little friends may know something about it." The man, Darkhan, raised his index finger in front of him, where a ring with a prominent jewel was being sported. There was an odd aura around the ring and Kenshiro could feel his senses telling him it was magical in nature.

Darkhan motioned with his hand towards Kalec with the ring on the lead and the collar around the Dragonkin neck began to tighten and cause him more pain.

NNNNNNNNNGH!

"Although they are not elves, I believe they may be able to help me…"

Kenshiro was having enough of this man's arrogance. "ENOUGH! You say you're kind, yet your actions prove otherwise. Stop hurting my companions or I will be forced to take matters on my own hands"

Darkhan released a bored sigh at Kenshiro's statement. "You know I was hoping I could enlist the help of such impossing warrior like you to aid me in my search. But I see I'll have to dispense of you instead, what a pity…" he said before raising his ring again and using the magic of the jewel to activate the collar in Kenshiro's fist.

The collar locked itself tigthly around Kenshiro's palm and began to shock the imposing martial artist with hundreds of volts.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGH!**

Despite the apparent pain that Kenshiro was forced to endure, he refused to kneel in defeat and only a slight foward lurch of his upper body was the single evidence of his discomfort.

KENSHIRO! Screamed Anveena in concern for her friend.

HA! HA! HA!

Darkhan laughed, arrogantly, amused at the martial artist defiance and took the chance to toss another collar towards Anveena. This one found his mark withouth any impediment.

"AH!"

Seeing the successor of Hokuto still standing, The Dark Sorcerer adressed Kenshiro. "You are truly the mighty warrior that you appear. Not many would still be standing after a shock from one of those collars, but your resistance will prove futile in the end. No man, no matter how strong, could hope to break through one of these collars. They are of dwarven make you see… The collar will tighten the more you struggle, so it would pain me to see you suffer needlessly…"

Despite the taunts and the constant pain, Kenshiro was not willing to yield easily. "Do you always underestimate your enemies so? Withouth first learning about their abilities? It will be your doom in the end." He said, before standing tall once more and began making use of the strenght gained thanks to the mastery of Hokuto.

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

His muscles bulged and hardened even more, his veins became too tick, so much that they were now easily visible through his skin. Kenshiro began to show an unearthly strenght and the collar attached around his fist cracked and broke in several pieces by just clenching his appendice; leaving all who witnessed this feat of might, spechless and Darkhan with a cold feel of dread at the back of his head.

"Impossible! No mortal has the strength to break trough those bonds! How did you do it!?" Darkhan said, reeling back from shock.

CRACK! CRACK!

The reply came with the noise of Kenshiro cracking his knuckles. "Almost every human being only uses the 30% of their body potential during their entire lives. The art of Hokuto allows for their practitioners to unlock the remaining 70%. So I can use the 100% of my body's power at any given time during a fight."

Darkhan grimaced, unsatisfied with this recent development. He retreated back into his horde of undead and sent them forth. "Tsk… Deal with him, all of you!"

And just like that several dozen of undead monsters lunged at Kenshiro, grunting and snarling all the way.

**RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGHHHH!**

"KENSHIRO! LOOK OUT!" Anveena screamed in terror.

Kenshiro's answer was to take deep breath and then his muscles started to bulge and expand even more. His jacket, unable to contain the increaing bulk of his body, slid off from his shoulders and down from his arms before falling on the ground (*****). The muscles of Kenshiro turned at least 4 times bigger and his height increased as a result, turning the martial artist from a wall of muscles to a fortress with legs! Anveena and Kalec could only simply stare jaw-slacked as result.

The undead horde was almost upon him and Kenshiro stood his ground ready to face them.

HYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA…

And then he launched an endless storm of punches. His fists moved too fast for the eye to follow, raining down blow after blow upon the horde of undead in front of him, who were helpless to do anything but just stand there and get their bodies pummeled under the overwhelming barrage of attacks. The giant of a man went through their lines hiting all in his path mercilessly until he found himself behind his opponents.

**HATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATA… WACHA!**

**_HOKUTO HYAKURETSU KEN_**

**北 ****斗 ****百****裂****拳**

**_ (Hundred Crack Fist)_**

For a moment, the entire battlefield remained in silence, Kenshiro was simply standing with his back towards his enemies not deeming them worthy enough to even take a glimpse behind to look at them; all the undead remained frozen on their spot, their bodies covered with fists marks and the 3 witness to the battle could only look in disbelief to what did just happened, but then…

U… Urk… **BLEEEEERGH**

**SPLURT!**

**SPLURT!**

**SPLURT!**

All the undead began to bloat and their bodies contorted and disfigured in unnatural proportions because of the tumors that were growing exponentially and tearing through limb and muscle, before reaching a critical mass and exploding in the now familiar shower of gore and fluids. By the end of the gory display, all the undead horde of Darkhan had been compleately anihilated leaving the elven sorcerer alone to face the wrath of Hokuto.

"Stay back! Don't get near me!" Darkhan yelled in fear, retreating back a few steps in desperation, knowing he was no match against such formidable foe in a straight confrontation.

He raised his ring once more and pointed it in the direction of his companions. "Maybe you are strong enough to break through my bonds, but your friends aren't! Take a single step towards me and their lives are forfited."

To make his point across he activated the collars once more wich began to electrocute both Kalec and Anveena.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGCK!

NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGH!

Darkhan began to gloat, safe in his assumption of holding the upper hand. "See? Your friends are helpless against my magic, better do what I say from now on or your friends will suffer the consequences."

Kenshiro didn't reply and only gazed at the sorcerer with a somber look, Anveena however, was horrified and Kalec could barely stand.

Darkhan began carrying on with his demands "Now I will just say this once more, you will help find what I'm looking for. You will answer my questions and you will do so truthfully, or else…"

**RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWR!**

But before he could finish his tirade, Darkhan was distracted by a sudden roar.

"What!?"

And a blue dragon suddenly landed in front of him, teeth bearing.

**RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWR!**

The dragon spewed a torrent of flames at the elven sorcerer and he was forced to jump away to avoid being burned alive. Darkhan knew he had to shift his attention from Kenshiro and his friends and deal with this new menace if he wanted to see another sunrise. Seeing no other choice, he turned and faced the dragon and began to chant a spell.

"KY IBRI INOCH TODT…"

Taking a glimpse of a discarded weapon lying close in front of him, Kalec saw his chance and dived for it before running towards the distracted sorcerer just as he was finishing his spell. Meanwhile Kenshiro and Anveena were marveled at the sight of the impossing creature of fables battling the dark sorcerer.

"VEROT!"

A magical net of energy suddenly materialized above the dragon, trapping the creature compleately and leaving it unable to move. But because Darkhan was distracted in keeping his hold over the spell, he didn't saw Kalec rushing at him from the side and the disguised Dragonkin promptly cut off the finger where were the elf was wearing his ring.

SLASH!

AAAAAAAAAAARGH!

Losing his concentration over the spell, the net trapping the dragon dissipated and the creature promptly released another stream of flames, incinerating the cercenated appendage of the sorcerer alongside his ring.

Seeing the key to get rid of the collar around his neck being destroyed, Kalec couldn't help but scream his desperation. "NOOOOOOOOOO!"

Meanwhile Darkhan took his chance to run into the nearby woods and dissapear. Kenshiro saw him making his escape, but he didn't took pursuit, he rarely goes after retreating enemies when they have lost their will to fight, not unless there's a specific reason like tracking them back to their bases or trying to save a hostage. Often putting the fear of god in them is enough, the raider gangs of his world always did tended to disperse once he killed their leaders.

Kalec didn't noticed that the dark sorcerer had escaped though, he just stood there looking solem over the burning remains of the ring. A voice spoke behind him.

"Are you alright, Kalecgos?"

He answered withouth turning. "What are you doing here, Tyrygosa? I know Malygos didn't send you…"

The voice behind him replied and in that moment Kalec finnaly turned just as a hand was reaching for him "I feared for you, and I was right to do so. I only did what I should." It belonged to a beatiful auburn haired elven woman wearing a cape and a travel breastplate. "After all, I have to protect my future mate."

* * *

><p>The small group of people took a few minutes to collect themselves, Kalec solely needed them after enduring Darkhan's tender <em>ministrations<em> and Anveena resumed her search for her parents among the burning wreackage of her home, Kenshiro lend her a hand to keep her safe from injury after putting his jacket back on. The newcomer, Tyrygosa, for some reason, was pretty adamant in leaving with Kalecgos as soon as possible and was growing impatient by his idleness.

"What are you waiting for, Kalecgos?" She asked, with a hint of impatience. "We can leave any time now."

"I'm not going to abandon her." Kalec replied in determination, glancing at Anveena while she scoured trough the remains of her home. "That would be cruel."

"She is not one of us." Replied Tyrygosa a little too despodently. "Her concerns are not ours."

"She saved my life and lost her family because of me." Kalec said guilt evident in his voice.

"Tsk… you worry too much Kalecgos. It's not like she would be all defenseless if you leave, not with that wall of muscles following her around." Tyrygosa said, referring obviously to Kenshiro.

Kalec had to repress a sight at his future mate stuborness. "That aside, I can't remove these collars; and neither can you. At the very least, we need to find someone who can."

"You worry over nothing. Malygos should be able to remove yours." Tyrygosa replied, unconcerned.

"But he would not allow a human to enter in our realm" Kalec said, not considering that idea as a viable option.

While the two dragonkin were busy bickering back and forth, Anveena made a discovery among the burning remains. There was an egg, of an amber color so bright and shiny as if it was made of gold. The young girl couldn't help but grab the egg with both of her petite hands in fascination.

The moment she took hold of the egg, the creature inside was starting to come out of its shell. "Oh, my!"

"What is it, Anveena? Is something the matter?" said Kenshiro, distracted by his perusal of the wreckage by the girl sudden gasp of surprise. He too became mildly surprised when he saw the girl holding a golden egg with a creature gestating out of it.

RAAAAC

RAAAAC

It was winged red lizard, not unlike a dragon except his body was long and thin like a snake, he was missing both of his legs only having the upper extremities as limbs, and his head looked too disproportionated big when compared with the rest of his body. But for some strange reason, Anveena found the little creature cute. The creature didn't wasted time to learn to fly.

The two dragonkins stopped their bickering for a moment to stare at the creature in surprise. "Kalecgos! What is that!?"

"I don't know." Was Kalec dumbfounded answer.

Ignoring the two Dragonkin talking about the creature, Kenshiro focused his attention solely on the girl. It seemed the little dragon had taken a liking to her quite fast as he was now licking and rubbing himself against her cheek.

The voice of Kalec coming closer pulled everybody out of their thoughts "Anveena."

The girl answered quite startled. "Kalec!? I am sorry. I lost track…"

Kalec interrupted her mid-statement "Anveena… Your family… I'm sorry…"

The mood of the girl went down a little when she was reminded of her recent loss. "It… It's all right, Kalec. You could have done nothing about it."

"Forgive me for asking… but did you know anything about their past." Kalec asked as most gently as he could.

"We have always lived here…" Replied the girl, mildly surprised by that question. "But they know someone in Tarren Mill, I think."

"Who?" Kalec asked.

"I've never meet him." Anveena admitted. "But they spoke of him a lot. His name is Borel; and he seems to know quite a lot." She said while petting the little creature curled around her hand.

"Borel? Maybe he can help. Tarren Mill isn't far from here…" Kalec said, thinking out loud.

"This is preposterous." Said Tyrygosa with derision. "We are supposed to go to some human town and track down someone she's never even seen? Let her go herself, the walk will do her good."

"Yes we are going too, Tyry." Said Kalec with determination "It doesn't sound like it will take long, then it will be safe for us to return to the lair."

That little tidbit seemed to perk up the dragoness quite a bit. "Well, if that's the case." She said saucily before she began to emanate a white light and turn into her imposing dragon form. "Then climb aboard and let's be off from this place!"

* * *

><p><em>Well here you have it, the second chapter for this story. Took me quite a bit to have it ready since I haven't had much time to write because of work, now that I'm done with this chapter I better focus on updating my other story since I haven't done it in a while. <em>

_Anyway, don't forget to review and tell me how you liked this story._

_(*****) Something that has always baffled me is the number of jackets and shirts, Kenshiro can rip in a single episode every time he gets buff, how the hell he does to replace all those shirts is something beyond me. So in order to avoid such issue, I'm just going to say that Kenshiro's jacket falls off him every time his muscles bulge._


	3. In search of an answer

**Author's note:** Well, it's been a year since I updated this… I really have no words to apologize for such long delay. I myself wasn't expecting it would take this long for me to update this story, it's just that I been really busy with my other stories, there's always something that comes up, some idea I want to write about, and before I know it several months have passed. Anyway whatever the case, I had finally the time to focus on this story for a bit and write the next chapter.

Before I start, Let me tell you I'm not particular pleased about this chapter. It's just this next part of the manga I felt it too constricting as to not have much room to wiggle and make changes from canon. So it really irks me that much of this chapter is a copy-paste from the manga, I particularly don't like that since, if you been reading my other stories, you should know I like to be original and implement varied ideas while giving not much screentime to canon. Since most of you I suppose should already be knowledgeable about of that, I decide to skim or even skip over canon whenever I can and keep only the essentials. That was the problem with this section because it's essential but it doesn't give me much space to make changes. Oh well I hope I can be done with this quickly and move to the next thing.

Anyway, despite this, I hope you like this long awaited chapter for this story.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own either World of Warcraft or Hokuto No Ken. They belong to their respective authors.

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><p>CHAPTER 2<p>

**In search of an answer**

The small group of companions traveled on the back of the dragoness Tyrigosa for around half an hour, Kenshiro was amazed the entire trip, as he was able to marvel at the beauty of the landscape from their vantage point. Enjoying the wonders of Nature that he had thought lost forever on his old world. Eventually, they managed to discern the first traces of their destination at a distance.

"That smoke on the horizon! That must be Tarren Mill." Kalec said, pointing his finger at a pillar of smoke that could be seen at the edge of the sea of trees they were overflying.

The dragoness just grunted in confirmation. "Hmmph! Good!"

"Land in the woods there! We'll walk the rest of the way!" Kalecgos said, indicating towards a small clearing among the dome of trees.

"Of course! Did you _think _I planned on Landing in the square?" Tyrigosa rebuked with no small amount of sarcasm.

The dragoness landed and the entire group promptly stepped down from her back, to allow Tyrigosa to change back into her elven disguise. Kenshiro was still amazed by the feats that this new magic could accomplish, as he could still not understand how a small and lithe woman could transform in such a big mighty beast. The group then began to make its way through the forest towards the town of Tarren Mill.

"I have never seen so many people! It is amazing!" The girl Anveena said in wonder one they were already walking through the streets of the town, as she had never visited a place like this before in her life.

"This backwater settlement? Amazing?" Tyri said in small disdain with a scoff, not impressed by their surroundings.

Kenshiro however, agreed with the young girl; as he too found it amazing to be able to see again a civilized place. A place where people were happy and lived in peace, something he never thought he would see again. It reminded him of better, happier times, before the war and the destruction of his world.

"They must not see elves often here. We stand out." The voice of Kalec brought him out of his thougths, as he saw his fellow companion commenting about Tyri's chosen disguise.

Said dragoness simply crossed herself in arms and huffed. "I'll not demean myself by taking a human form. At least elves are aesthetically pleasing."

"We'll with this neck ring, I'm stuck like this. That means the sooner we find this Borel, the better." Kalec replied, reminding the group of their objective and exhorting them to redouble their efforts in finding this man.

They spent several hours asking around the town about Borel, with every innkeeper, establishment owner or even random passerbys on the street, yet none knew where this man could be found. Dissapointed on their failure, they decide to regroup on the town's main square fountain.

"Nothing! No one here has even heard of this Borel!" Kalec snapped in frustration.

"I am sorry Kalec…" Anveena said tryig to appease her friend.

"It's all r-right… You c-can't…" Kalec wasn't able to keep speaking as a sudden wave of dizziness struck him. He brought a hand to his temple and staggered on his feet, trying to keep himself from passing out almost passing out. Tyrigosa was immediately by his side and grabbed him by the arm to keep him from falling.

"Kalec!" Anveena exclaimed in distress.

"I knew it! He's overextended himself for you! He needs rest!" Tyri stated as she assessed Kalec's condition. Kenshiro simply looked upon the situation grimly.

"But we have no money…" Anveena mentioned.

"A minor, mundane problem." Tyri said as she extended a hand into the air, summoning gold coins into her palm. She then swept her gaze around and focused upon a nearby hotel sign. "And since that seems the only place, it'll have to do."

The group soon entered in the small inn and rented a room where they laid Kalecgos on a bed to rest. Tyrigosa addressed the two humans looking upon Kalec's sleeping form in concern. "He should be fine as long as he gets enough rest. We should continue our search for this Borel while he sleeps."

"Are we simply going to leave Kalec in here alone!?" Anveena said in worry, not willing to abandon her friend while he is helpless.

"Do not worry for our friend, Anveena." Kenshiro said, speaking for the first time since arriving on Tarren Mill. "I'll stay and guard over him while he rests."

"Then it is settled then! We two will continue looking for this Borel while our big friend over here guards Kalecgos." Tyri said to Anveena before walking out of the room, not waiting for the young girl to catch up with her.

Anveena was about to rush after the disguised dragoness, but stopped for a moment to give one last look at Kenshiro. "Please Kenshiro, take good care of him."

The brawny man simply replied with a sharp nod. "I will… You should go now, no need to make our other draconic friend wait." Was all he said to the girl before she finally left.

Kenshiro stalwartly guarded over the sleeping Kalecgos for several hours without moving from his spot. Suddenly, he heard a loud stream of heavy footsteps approaching towards the room from outside the door. Feeling his senses warning him about trouble, he quickly moved and took cover behind the door to spy whoever intruder that dared to enter into the room.

The door soon opened and a short, stubby, bearded man wearing and eye-patch and carrying a blunderbuss on his back entered the room. He was carrying a glowing crystal that shone with a piercing light. The stubby man seemed to turn towards the crystal for guidance, before he looked upon the slumbering from of Kalec and began to approach him with menacing steps.

The stubby man brought an arm behind his back and began to draw his heavy rifle. But Kenshiro moved to intercept him before he tried to do something threatening against Kalec's health. "Why are you breaking into this room without permission!?" He said coldly from behind the stubby man as he loomed over him.

The short bearded man turned around with a gasp at being caught off guard, not expecting for someone else to be in the room. He saw the grim cold stare of Kenshiro, towering over him. The bearded man compleately drew his blunderbuss and aimed it with one hand at the Master of Hokuto Shin-Ken while still carrying the glowing crystal in the other.

"Easy there lad, don't try to do anything stupid. This has nothing to do with you." He said pointing the barrel of his gun at the enourmous man.

Kenshiro was not undeterred in the slightest by the big firearm and kept approaching the short stubbing man with imposing steps. "I'll ask you again… Why have you broken into this room without permission…?"

The stubby man took a step back, readying his gun as he gritted his teeth in nervousness. "Stop! Don't tempt me, lad. At this range, I can't miss. I do not wish to kill an innocent bystander, but I will not allow anyone to get in my way… If you must know the reason why am here, I've been hunting a dragon for several days now and the traces I've been following have led me to this place. This crystal here, say's my Dragon's near… And I've got a hunch it's very near." He said, glancing darkly at the sleeping form of Kalecgos.

Kenshiro simply listened to the man's explanation with grim stoicisim. "I do not know for what reason are you pursuing my friend, but I can't allow you to bring him arm as I have given my word that I would guard over him and keep him safe."

"I see…" The stubby man said in thought. "Too bad for you lad then… You shouldn't have gotten involved with the wrong lot." He stated as he cocked back the hammer of his gun with a loud clank with his thumb and began to exert pression on the trigger with his index finger.

In that moment Kenshiro suddenly dissapeared from all sight, the short stubby could only gasp in surprise for a second, before he gun was punched away from his hand as the Master of Hokuto suddenly reappeared standing practically over him. Kenshiro then stabbed a finger in the stubby man neck who suddenly found himself unable to move. "Wha…? I… can't move? What witchery is this…!?" He exclaimed as Kenshiro suddenly lifted him up in the air with the same finger he had plunged into his neck.

The sounds of the struggle made the slumbering dragon in disguise to wake up. "Ugh! What's all that noise? Anveena, is that you!?" He quickly got out of his stupor and was surprised to find Kenshiro at the feet of his bed, lifting a dwarf in the air with one finger. "Kenshiro! What is going on!?"

"Let me down in this instant, or I'll have my boys deal with you!" The stubby man said trying to threath Kenshiro into releasing him. Obviously, it was a futile effort as the master of Hokuto was not impressed by the little man wails.

Suddenly, a new set of footsteps were heard approaching the room, It was Anveena who walked in through the open door. "Mister Kenshiro, what is happening? Is Kalec alright!?" She asked in worry.

Kalec, still not knowing what was happening but feeling the situation to be quite serious, called at the girl in trepidation to keep her from getting involved. "Run Anveena!"

Suddenly, an Orc appeared behind a confused Anveena and tried to take hold of her. "Oh?" The little dragon she had with her, Raac suddenly flew from his master embrace and bit her assaulter right in the finger.

CHOMP!

Yowtch!

Kenshiro let go of the bearded stubby man, who fell unceremoniously on the floor, and immediatly used his inhuman speed to appear in front of the orc and knocked him out with a single punch.

Before anyone could say something, a scream was heard from outside coming from the town's square. "That's Tyrigosa! She must be in trouble!" Kalec informed, recognizing the voice of his self-appointed mate.

Kenshiro simply walked back over the dwarf sprawled in the floor who was busy trying to get back up and collect his weapon. He grabbed him from behind and lifted him in the air once more. "I assume you must be behind of whatever that just happen to our friend."

The dwarf just smirked with a devilish smile "You better let go of me if you know what is good for your companion. My lads can get a bit rowdy if I don't keep a close eye on them…"

Kenshiro did not reply and simply looked towards Kalec who had already got up from the bed and was preparing to go in help of Tyri. "Are you good enough to move?"

"I'm fine! We better go out there and help Tyrigosa." Kalec said while fastening his sowrd

Kenshiro simply nodded at this reply, he then looked behind him to adress a still worried Anveena. "You better go and find somewhere safe to hide Anveena while we go out there and have a small talk with our little intruder's friends." He said with his usual seriousness.

"Will you two be alright!?" The girl asked in concern.

Kalec just waved her in dismissal. "We'll be fine Anveena. Just go, we'll look for you after we're done saving Tyrigosa."

The young girl just nodded in acknowledgement. "Just be careful ok!" She said as parting words before turning around and disappearing down the hallway.

Kenshiro turned back towards his prisioner. "Well, then… Let's not keep your boys waiting…"

!

Tyrigosa was struggling, trying to break through the net that had trapped her. For some reason, all of her efforts proved fruitless despite the aid of her draconic strenght and Magic.

"It's useless! Magic will not save you, female. This net is protected!" Said one of the Orc thugs that had trapped her as he threatened her with a knife.

"AAAAAAAAh!"

Suddenly, a rough scream drew everyone attention, as the dwarf commanding the orcish thugs was roughly landed in front of his underlings as if he had been thrown. Kenshiro and Kalec appeared, walking calmly towards the thugs and their prisioner from behind the crumpled form of the one-eyed dwarf.

Kenshiro looked around the place briefly to assess the situation, before he began to crack his knuckles intimidatetly. "You better tell your people to let my frined go, before I decide to take matters in my own hands!"

"I would also like to know why are you chasing us so intently? What makes you think we are dragons?" Kalec interjected right after Kenshiro.

The one eyed dwarf simply lifted himself off the ground and dusted himself off with a grunt. "I've heard dragons can change shape and the crystal glows most when it's near you." He said before a sudden growl caught his attention and he took notice of a sight that made him gasp in shock.

"What's going on…? By Grim Batol!" The dwarf said as he discovered they were being surrounded by undead that were suddenly overrunning the town.

"Tarren Mill is under attack by the undead scourge." The dwarf said glancing all around him, looking at all the undead creatures circling them. He immediately took aim with his rifle at the monsters drawing near. "The Scourge! They must haveve followed us here! Blasted shambling corpses! Think you can sneak up on Harkyn Grymstone? I'll blow you to little gobbets of… Eh?"

Once more, the one-eyed dwarf gave an expression of shock, as his body suddenly paralyzed and refused to move. "My trigger finger! My whole body! Can't Move!"

He wasn't the only one suffering from that condition as every single one of the remaining still-breathing individuals in the square found themselves unable to even lift a single finger. Kenshiro included.

A voice known to Kenshiro and Kalec, called from behind all of them. "Your efforts are futile, you know."

The paralysed people struggled to turn their heads in the direction of the voice and found the red-clad elven mage, Darkhan, walking tino view with an arrogant step. "Really, even for a dwarf, you are stubborn. Not to mention a disappointment."

"Disappointment?" The dwarf Harkyn, blinked in confusion.

"All you had to do was keep the dragons away…" Darkhan said with mild-irritation.

"My employer was a human! A former prince of Lordaeron who…" Harkyn exclaimed in shock, trying to set things straigth, but the elven sorcerer quickly interrupted him.

"A simple casting of illusion, more than enough to convince a _dwarf_." Darkhan explained with condescending disdain. "When I first sensed the nearness off the sunwell's power, I knew that it had not been lost. I sent word to my blessed lord Arthas… Who reminded me that although the wizards of Dalaran might be in disarray… The dragons would be drawn to the Sunwell like moths to a flame… They are creatures of magic you see. You might even say defenders of it. The _Blues _especially. " He said as he loomed over the still trapped Tyrigosa, who suddenly realized how much Darkhan had been aware of their mission.

"You're a fool, Darkhan!" Kalec spat in anger, drawing all attention towards him. "Arthas will never let you control the sunwell's power for long. You find it, and he'll have Kel'Thuzad take it from you! That's the only reason that he's kept you around."

Darkhan didn't take kindly to those words and reacted harshly. "Enough Whelps! If you cannot give me want I want, I have no need of you. I'm so sorry. Dwarf, you want to slay dragons… Any dragons… I give these to you."

"You…! You used me! You used my hatred…!" Harkyn mumbled in shame an outrage for being played at.

"Hatred is such a wonderful, malleable tool…" Darkhan replied in amusement, he then sobered and turned towards his undead minions. "Kill the female first. He may remember something, then…"

Suddenly, the voice of Anveena called from the distance. "NO! Please! No!" The girl appeared running through the main street and put herself between her frozen friends and the elven sorcerer. "Please! I-I do not know what you want, but I will help you find it if I can… Just don't hurt them!"

"Hmmm… The girl from the cottage… and that thing… the trail led here…" Darkhan said, bringing a hand to his chin in thought as he looked over Anveena. "Could it be? Yes! I sense the power of the sunwell around you! That beast! It is what I seek! It must contain the sunwell's essence!" He exclaimed pretty excited in realization, glancing towards the miniature red dragon in Anveena's embrace.

"Raac?" Both Tyrigosa and Kalecgos exclaimed in puzzlement.

The crimson clad elven sorcerer extended a hand towards the young frightened girl. "Give that creature to me and I promise that your troubles will all be over, little one. You'll never have to fear anything again."

Anveena seemed to consider his words for a moment, and then looked down at the creature between her arms with an expression of sadness. "Forgive me, Raac…"

-RAAC?- The dragonling croaked in puzzlement, before Anveena presented him towards Darkhan.

"Yes… come to me! Be mine at last!" The elven sorcerer said in anticipation as he reached with his hand towards the small creature.

"No Anveena! He must not have it!" Kalec yelled bringing a jarring stop to Darkhan's trance and causing the young girl to take a few steps back due to the shock.

Darkhan glowered at being interrupted and turned to Harkyn. "Silence him, dwarf." He commanded ruthlessly. The one eyed dwarf began to lift and aim his rifle against his will. He struggled against the spell controling his actions, but all effort was for naught.

Witnessing the cruelty and evilness unfolding in front of him, Kenshiro was unable to hold his temper anymore. He growled; a loud troathy sound that caught all the people in the square off guard, as the sound seemed more to be that of a dangerous predator rather than a man. The anger of Kenshiro started to become easily visible, as his body began to exhude a malicious dark aura that managed to terrify even the undead creatures that were surrounding the group, making them to uncounciously take several steps back away from the enraged Hokuto master. He was not going to let the ruthless elven sorcerer to lay a hand on the girl, so he fought against the spell that held him with sheer will alone.

As his ire increased, so did his power and with a mighty roar that struck deep into the souls of everyone present, finally breaking through the paralysis, Kenshiro stared at Darrkhan with a dark terrible look. "I will not let you touch, Anveena." He said before his arms blurred as he began to launch almost unseen attacks against the undead surrounding him. Six of those creatures were sent flying into the air, and went they landed they took a moment to clear their heads from the confusion brought by their sudden flights.

The creatures looked back at Kenshiro, believing his attacks to have been useless, but once they stood up again, they found themselves unable to move as a sudden pain spiked from the spots where they were punched. Their bodies began to bloat as sudden painful tumors began to form on their bodies, straining bones and muscles with unbearable pressure, as their bodies seemed to turn into nothing more than inflated ballons of flesh. And after a few excruciating seconds, bursting in a shower of corrupted gore and dark ichor, splashing the cobblestones with putrid and rancid remnants of dead tissue.

Darkhan was not pleased by this new ocurrence. "So, you were able to break through my spell? Clearly you are indeed a formidable warrior if you were to accomplish such feat. However, you will need more than brute strenght if you wish to last more than a few seconds against me…" The elven sorcerer said as he began to raise his hand in preparation fro a magical spell, already sparks of lighting were dancing between his fingers.

They were interrupted again however, by another yell, as an armored man that appeared to be a Paladin suddenly appeared rushing into scene before he decapitated two undead with his sword.

"Who dares?" Darkhan asked in outrage at seeing someone else meddling in his affairs.

The Paladin answer was to throw a dagger at Darkhan, who simply stopped it with a magical shield by extending his arm. Raac then fell upon Darkhan and tried to distract him through scratches and tail lashes.

The patience of the crimson clad necromancer was all but spent at this point. "Slay him! Slay all of them!" He commanded to the dwark still under his control.

Harkyn kept struggling against the sorcerer spell as he lifted his rifle, took aim and shoot it. Only for the round to strike in Darkhan full, who braced himself against the projectile that detonated against him.

"No pasty elf makes a puppet out of Harkyn Grymstone!" The dwarf exclaimed hefting his smoking Blunderbuss before turning to his orcs underlings. "This job's a free one lads! Let's take this walking bone!"

RRRARRR!

One of the Orcs roared in affirmation before he grabbed two undead by the head and smashed them together, while the second orc started tt hacks another undead to pieces.

The Paladin rushed and approached Kalec. "Can you use this boy?" he said as he presented his sword to Kalecgos.

"I've got somethir better thanks!" Kalec replied before summoning his own sword.

"Go to the girl! I'll free the lady!" The Paladin ordered as he pointed at an unprotected Anveena.

The girl was about to be attacked by a couple of lunging undead.

EEK!

Slash!

But Kalec suddenly saved her by cutting both undead in two by the midriff in a single slash.

Darkhan began to raise his magical power and laughed, drawing everybody attention towards him. "Hnnh-hnnh- Ahahahahaha!"

"Fool of a dwarf, I'm a servant of the Lich King! I am more than mortal!" Darkhan boasted with a dark smile as he motioned with his hand towards Harkyn's direction.

":Gasp: C-can't breathe…" A choking Harkyn manages to say.

Meanwhile, the unknown Paladin frees Tyrigosa from the net trapping her.

"Quick! Stand away!" She signals him with a hand as she begins to active her transformation with a display of great magical power.

"Look out!" Kalec yelled as he takes notice of Darkhan turning towards Tyri and raising hand to launch a spell, he's stopped by Kenshiro who hurls an undead attacker at him, frocing the crimson clad sorcerer to dodge. The distraction gives Tyrigosa enough time to turn fully into a dragon and she breaths fire upon Darkhan's helpless form.

With the elven necromancer taken care off, everybody starts killing the undead left and right. The paladin smashing their heads with his hammer, the orcs hacking with their axes, Kalec slashing them with great acrobatics, Kenshiro blowing them apart with his Hokuto, Tyri stomping them or burning them with her fiery breath.

The rest of the villagers suddenly appeared armed with farming equipment and began to attack the undead. Anveena even manages to kill one with a borrowed sword.

"Is that all of them? What about the elf?" Kalec asks as he finishes a downed undead, everybody looks at the crumpled burned clothes of Darkhan on the charred cobblestone.

"I doubt you have much to worry about him son." The Paladin mentions as he sets downhis hammer. The battle with the people of Tarren Mill being victorious, and everybody then focus their attention next in helping in the reconstruction and clean-up.

The next morning.-

"It's just as I feared. Only the elf knew how to remove these." Kalec says as he finfingers with the collar around his neck.

"I am sorry Kalecgos." Tyrigosa said trying to comfort him.

Kalec just shakes his head in dismissal. "It couldn't be helped."

"But you can get our lord Malygos to remove it for you." Tyrigosa adviced as a solution.

That actually made the dragon in disguisse to remain in silent in thought for a moment. "Maybe… but not until we found a safe place for Anveena… I will not leave her alone like this, and we also need to find this Borel. He may know something about what's going on…"

"I may know where you can find him." Said the rough looking Paladin entering in the conversation.

"Do you?" Kalec inquired.

"Aye, I met him twice here, a bearded elder with the look of a wizard. He even made mention of this sunwell the elf talked of." The Paladin explained.

"But why would you help us." Anveena inquired, not unkindly but curious nonetheless.

"Yes… Why? Who are you?" Kalec pressed, wanting to know too.

"I was a Paladin once. I swore to protect Lordaeron. I failed. This may be the only way to save what's left. If the Lich king obtains the Sunwell, nothing will be able to stand against him." The worn-traveled Paladin replied with blunt honesty.

Accepting that answer, Kalec got back to the matter at hand. "So… where do you think this Borel is?"

"He mentioned an area around Aerie Peak. I'd go there…" The Paladin began to say, but was suddenly interrupted by someone else butting in their conversation.

"Did someone say they're going to Aeries Peak?" Tha dwarf, Harkyn, said as he walked towards the group. "Lad, I owe you and yours a debt and an apology. I let my vengeance lead me down a path serving the evil one… I've a cousin, Loggi, near Aerie Peak. That collar looks like dwarven work. He may be able to remove it…" The one-eyed dwarf stated humbly.

"Which means we can solve both problems at once…" Kalec exclaimed pleasantly surprised, he then addressed Tyrigosa. "If you'll carry the four of us, Tyri?"

"For you, yes, Kalecgos." Tyrigosa replied happily as she latched herself on Kalec's arm.

"Then it's settled. Tomorrow we're off to Aerie Peak… and hopefully, to the end of all our troubles…" Kalec stated, giving the group their next steps to follow.

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><p><em>Well this all for now, hopefully I will be able to deliver a more creative chapter next time. Don't know when but hopefully it will not take me another year before I update this story again. In the meantime, I have to go back to my currently main story; I still have much work to do…<em>


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